E-Sevai Workers Protest in Chennai, Demand Fair Wage and Better Working Conditions

The E-sevai workers of Tamil Nadu conducted a demonstration demanding fair wage and better working conditions today, November 21, at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai. Over 200 data entry operators of E-sevai centres across the state participated in the demonstration, which was organised by the Union of IT (Information Technology) and ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services) Employees (UNITE).

TACTV (Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited), a government-run company is in charge of E-sevai centres in the state. The centre offers a variety of services for the common people including Adhar enrolment.

The centres are outsourced to contractors, who then recruit people as data entry operators. Majority of these data entry operators are women. Each taluk in the state has at least one E-sevai centre and a data entry operator. The operators are generally paid around Rs. 6,800 or 6,900 as monthly salary, which is way below the instructed minimum wage.

In the months of September and October, the operators were paid around Rs.1,000 to 1,500 as salary. When they enquired about this with the management, they shifted the blame on the operators. The management said that the operators didn’t keep the 5-day attendance per week. Therefore, the operators were paid accordingly.

Following this, the data entry operators went back to the management with the proof that they had enough attendance. But when they checked the department system, their attendance had been marked wrongly. Most of the operators’ attendance had been marked for two or three days a week. The reason behind this is unclear so far, as the operators register their attendance using biometrics in every two hours.

During the discussion, the management promised the workers that the issue will be sorted out eventually, but they cannot pay the operators now as the system does not show enough attendance. Even after hundreds of complaints from operators across the state were lodged, the management stood firm on their stand.  

Most of the operators come from economically backward families. This recent development has forced the operators into working two or three jobs at the same time to earn a fair living. UNITE brought this issue into the light by campaigning, following which the operators have started organising and protesting.

Demands

“Apart from the wage issue, UNITE is demanding solutions for other issues of the E-sevai workers as well,” said Alagunambi Welkin, general secretary of UNITE. She further said, “According to the Contract Abolition Act, any worker working beyond the period of 480 days should be given permanent position. The usual contract of a data entry operator expires in three years. The operators are not given any identity proof for the work they are doing. This takes away their job security as people with power can intimidate them and recruit their kin for the operators’ position without any legal issues. So, the union is demanding job security and permanent status for the workers.”

Another demand put forth by UNITE is to ensure a minimum wage of Rs. 18,000 for the data entry operators. The current payment of around Rs. 6,800 or 6,900 is inadequate and inhumane in the present working conditions. As most of the workers are women, workers are also demanding a more gender-sensitive working atmosphere. Many centres do not even have toilet facilities or proper ventilation. Also, most of the time the workers are forced to take money from their pocket to buy stationary materials needed for the centre. This is adding to the already impoverished conditions of the workers. UNITE has also demanded the management to supply enough materials needed for the centres to function properly.

“The demonstration was conducted as the first level of protest,” said Welkin. The union had already given a petition to the Managing Director of TACTV. But so far, the authority did not respond to it, he added.